Zambia

Zambia is ILIMS’s newest region. ILIMS works to improve its climate resilience, nutrition, yields and income through the expansion of irrigation and mechanization.

Opportunities

As with other countries in the region, on-farm productivity in Zambia is relatively low, and there is a pressing need for improvement in on-farm output and income. ILIMS has an opportunity to improve the resilience and unlock broader access to nutritious foods to Zambians by boosting on-farm output and income. We will focus on the expansion of access to irrigation and mechanization technologies and deepen our understanding of how to build and support inclusive market systems.

Challenges

Zambia has a per capita GDP of about $1,369, and GDP growth was estimated at nearly 6% in 2023. Life expectancy at birth is about 62 years and in 2022, about 64.3% of Zambians lived on $2.15 per day or less. Zambian households headed by women are particularly vulnerable to poverty. Fifty-five percent of Zambia’s population lives in rural areas, of whom four in five experience poverty (compared to one in three in urban areas). According to IFAD, about 17% of Zambians are experiencing food insecurity at crisis levels or worse, due partly to pests, crop diseases, irregular rainfall, and high prices.

Contributing to Solutions

ILIMS has recently added Zambia to the list of countries in which it will be engaging and expects to be working in the country on irrigation and mechanization soon.

Publications and Additional Resources

Project Partners